(CBB-3/23/2016)
Titus 2 and a substance abuse recovery student who’d come to us following a traumatic event elsewhere are pleased that an investigation by regional and state authorities resulted in an apology to her for what she experienced and assurances that policies are now in place to prevent the abuse that she experienced. She has gained strength and confidence from the effort to bring the psychological and religious abuse she experienced to light. Standing up for oneself often results in benefit to others, too. Uninformed and untrained people doing harm to others through their ignorance or arrogance need to be confronted and stopped. When the ones who should take action don’t, one has to continue to pursue justice until someone is found who will…..like the widow before the unjust judge who continued her pleading until justice was done, perseverance in pursuit of justice is never a wasted effort.
Advocacy and trusting in the justice of God to go before one is what God has prepared me to do….analyze and engage systems and processes to assure that they actually work for the people they are supposed to serve! I’ve had to do some pretty unexpected and tough things….call out a healthcare provider who took casual and indecent liberties with women that he thought no one would believe or defend, stand by women when others were prepared to break promises to them, hold people accountable to meet the conditions of agreements they made, and even expose a “pastor” as an ignorant huckster. Few people are willing to do such things, and some will avoid the company of one prepared to do it! But the relief and sense of justice served evidenced in the face of the young lady who received the apology makes such efforts worthwhile. The knowledge that the suffering she experienced and her courage in speaking “truth to power” will have made a difference in the care and dignity with which others are treated makes Titus 2’s staff and students celebrate.